Remind me the rule, please!

**Tho** · 01-03-2003, 04:52 AM

I post a question in Erin's test here.
After the Gold Rush in California in 1849 came [dramatically] higher number of [immigrants] than [had been] [seen in] the previous year.
The answer is A --> should be a dramatically and his explanation is clear. But I forget the rule that when we should omit the subject, I mean the full sentence is
After the Gold Rush in California in 1849 came a dramatically higher number of immigrants than it had been seen in the previous year.
Thanks a heap

**muaxuan68** · 01-03-2003, 09:31 AM

--------------------------------------------
After the Gold Rush in California in 1849 came a dramatical higher number of immigrants than had been seen in the previous year.
--------------------------------------------

Tho,

In my opinion, there's no satisfactory explanation to your question.we'd better accept it. The following are some examples that help us memorize this type of structure. (I found them in another website)

He has made a much deeper impact than had been expected.
The river was deeper than had been claimed.
The country continued to produce more oil than was needed.
More men perished here than were lost in the storming of Utah.

Fire experts also did not perform as well as had been hoped
This engine turned out to be not as bad as was predicted

HTH
~muaxuan
Edited for hasty mistakes not previewing the post

**muaxuan68** · 01-03-2003, 10:05 AM

Tho, would you mind a correction?

to remind somebody of something.

to remind somebody to do something.

HTH!
~muaxuan

**ttaann** · 01-03-2003, 11:16 AM

Hi Tho,

After the Gold Rush in California in 1849 came a dramatically higher number of immigrants than it had been seen in the previous year.

Here is the rule:<ul>[*]it= "a number" and[*]after "than"(as well as "as") the author uses a passive clause(it had been seen in the previous year)[/list]

Another example:
Their success was as great as it had been expected.
Hope this help,
Ttaann.

**ttaann** · 01-03-2003, 11:49 AM

Well, muaxuan has great examples for the rule:

Here is the rule:

it= "a number" and

after "than"(as well as "as") the author uses a passive clause(it had been seen in the previous year)

He has made a much deeper impact than he had been expected.
The river was deeper than ithad been claimed.
More men perished here than ~~men~~were lost in the storming of Utah.
Fire experts also did not perform as well as it had been hoped
This engine turned out to be not as bad as itwas predicted
What about this?
"The country continued to produce more oil than was needed."
I think this should be:
"The country continued to produce more oil than it needed"
Hope to hear other ideas,
Ttaann.

**Tho** · 01-04-2003, 06:31 AM

Got it, thanks so much, my friends.

**Erin** · 01-04-2003, 06:46 AM

EXCELLENT work, TestMagicians!!

[tm]

**muaxuan68** · 01-04-2003, 08:53 AM

What about this?
"The country continued to produce more oil than was needed."
I think this should be:
"The country continued to produce more oil than it needed"

He has made a much deeper impact than he had been expected.

Hi Ta^n,

In the type of sentence, I don't apply the rule rigidly like you.

These are all the ways I think of it.

"The country continued to produce more oil than was needed."

==>>

"The country continued to produce more oil than the amount of oil that was needed"

He has made a much deeper impact than had been expected.

it depends on the author's intonation.

(the original sentence is stressed on "deeper")
==>> He has made a much deeper impact than the impact that had been expected.

(the original sentence is stressed on "He")

==>>He has made a much deeper impact than he had been expected.

What do you think?
~mx

**ttaann** · 01-04-2003, 10:29 PM

Hi muaxuan,

"The country continued to produce more oil than the amount of oil that was needed"

IMO, if you want to stress OIL your sentence is reasonable. But look again and again! The sentence isn't natural at all.

He has made a much deeper impact than the impact that had been expected.

The same opinion for this sentence.

DEAR ERIN,

What do you think about the question of muaxuan?

**muaxuan68** · 01-07-2003, 04:50 AM

hi all,
what do you think of the following samples?

Bulk orders for larger quantities than are quoted in the catalog will be given 10% discount.

Farmers produce more eggs than are needed for their own families.

it could be effective to use lower doses than were used initially

The authority is calling for stronger measures than have been taken to reduce car accidents.

~xuan